Fertility Preservation? Too Good to Be True?

posted on 5/31/2012

If you’re one of the many women who have decided to postpone pregnancy to a time when you have more resources to take care of the baby, you may have wondered if waiting would affect your fertility rate. The truth is that it is harder for women to conceive when they are older. Dr. James W. Douglas of the IVF Plano, Texas clinic points out that fertility rates start to decline rapidly between the ages of 35 and 37. By the time a woman reaches 40 years of age, her chances of getting pregnant naturally fall to just five percent!

This is where the idea of fertility preservation using egg freezing technology sounds so appealing. Why not just freeze your eggs until you’re actually ready to get pregnant? Freezing eggs and then using them at a date that’s more convenient for you and your partner can give you some more flexibility and even provide some flexibility as you wait to conceive. But is this whole process too good to be true? Here’s what you need to know:

How Egg Freezing Technology Works

Egg freezing technology has become a popular topic when it comes to infertility news and is still a fairly new technique. Dr. James Douglas explains that a technique called “vitrification” allows embryologists to freeze and thaw a woman’s eggs with a high level of reliability. It’s important to keep in mind that this process is still considered to be experimental but there is a lot of published data that has established the vitrification method as, “a new standard in oocyte cryopreservation.”

An investigational review board formally accepted this protocol for use in patients and the Presbyterian IVF lab now employs vitrification for patients who want the option to freeze their eggs. Egg freezing technology can help many women proactively plan their family on their own timetable and make the most of their pregnancy.

Are You a Good Candidate for Egg Freezing?

If you think that egg freezing technologies could be just what you need to plan your own family, make sure you are working with a qualified infertility specialist and a clinic that has extensive experience with the vitrification process. Since this method is still relatively new, you may not be able to find these services at a local clinic and may need to travel. The IVF Plano clinic is just one of a few reputable clinics around the United States to offer these advanced technologies.

All of the information on LocateADoc.com, (except for information provided by members of the LocateADoc.com community), is either written by health professionals or supported by public health recommendations.